“I know you don’t understand, babe.” She looked totally bewildered but incredibly sexy in her killer heels, short skirt and low-cut blouse. Breathtakingly beautiful with her luminous brown eyes, red pouty lips and curly black hair all bundled up in a fancy do. Damn, he wanted her in his arms and his bed.
But first he had to win back her trust.
“Jake?”
He reached out to her but she took a step back. It hit him like a fist to the gut, but he deserved it. He raked his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. “I’ve been keeping tabs on you since the night I left.”
She shook her head and he could easily read the confusion in her eyes. “Why? You were very blunt the night you left. So why do you care who I see or what I do?”
How to explain so she wouldn’t kick his butt to the door? “Can we sit down?”
She skirted by him and turned on another lamp before perching on the edge of one of the chairs, making sure there was no way he could sit next to her. He crouched in front of her instead, needing to be as close as she would allow him. He took her hands in his. She resisted slightly, but eventually relented. A rush of pleasure filled him when she acquiesced to his touch.
Her hands were so small next to his, but he knew how skilled, how creative they were. He’d seen the intricate earrings, necklaces and bracelets she created in her studio. The woman was incredibly talented.
“I hurt you and I never meant to,” he began.
She tugged at her hands until he was forced to hurt her or release her. He let go of her hands and she folded them demurely in her lap. He immediately missed the feel of her skin against his. “You did, but the past is the past.”
Her eyes were steady and calm and a sick feeling filled his stomach. Maybe she truly had moved on. Maybe he’d blown his only chance with her.
“But that doesn’t tell me why you were following me.” She sat up straighter and a flush of anger tinged her cheeks pink. “How many of my dates have you been on?”
“All of them.” He wouldn’t lie to her, not ever again. Not that he’d lied to her that night. He’d honestly believed he was doing what was right for her by leaving.
No, the person he’d been lying to that fateful night was himself.
“All of them.” She seemed totally bewildered by his confession. “This is crazy.” She rubbed her hand over her face, appearing extremely tired and confused.
Jake took heart from the fact she wasn’t screaming at him or calling his brother to come get his sorry ass out of her home.
He hurried on, hoping to make his case before she decided to evict him. “You changed after that night. You moved out of the apartment you shared with your sister.” He’d felt better knowing she had Topaz close, but that hadn’t lasted long after he’d left her.
She shrugged. “She moved in with John, and Emerald lives with her husband in Maine now. Didn’t seem right to keep such a large place just for me. Besides, I wanted a fresh start.”
The unspoken words were that she wanted a new start because of him. He eased from his crouch and sat on the corner of the coffee table, praying it would hold his weight. Wouldn’t exactly be suave if he broke it and ended up sprawled across her floor.
“You changed your wardrobe too?” he pointed out.
She stood and walked away, not stopping until she was standing by the window in the dining area. The heels she wore made it seem as though her legs went on forever. His balls drew up tight to his body and he forced himself to look away from Sapphire and study their surroundings instead. The tiny dining space held a table big enough for four, if they didn’t mind being overly friendly. The apartment was much smaller than the one she’d shared with her sisters, but it was all hers. The quiet colors and comfortable furniture reflected her personality.
“I decided I didn’t like being boring or unsophisticated.”
Pain ripped through his guts. He was responsible for that. “Babe,” he began, only to have her hold up her hand to stop him from saying any more.
“Don’t call me that.”
He stood and went to stand beside her. “I never thought you were boring or unsophisticated.”
“No? Oh, that’s right. You just thought you were too much for me to handle in the bedroom. Translation, I’m not enough woman for you.”
He’d really fucked things up. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Sure it is. Don’t start lying now, Jake. Not when you’ve been so honest up until now.” With her hands on her hips and her head tossed back, she was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. And she wasn’t done bringing him to task yet. “So honest in fact, you’ve been watching me and following me on my dates. Did you enjoy the art film last Tuesday?”
Jake winced. He’d dug himself a hell of a hole. “Ah, not particularly. And I know you didn’t either. You prefer older movies.”
“And you prefer action flicks. What about the concert on Thursday?” One toe tapped against the hardwood floor as she continued to question him.
“That one I had to wait outside. And before you ask, I enjoyed the Italian bistro and the art opening. What I didn’t like was seeing you with other men.” It had left him itching to hurt someone. He’d hated watching all those different guys walking with her, talking with her, holding her hand, kissing her good night. Thankfully, she hadn’t invited one of them up to her apartment. He wasn’t sure what the hell he would have done if that had happened.
Her anger seemed to deflate, leaving her looking bewildered. “I know you like your steak rare and you hate asparagus, but you’ll eat it if someone cooks it for you. I know you like to read thrillers and you’re close with your brother. I know a lot of superficial things about you, Jake, but I really don’t know you at all. I thought I did the night I took you to my bed, but I found out too late that I was mistaken.”
Jake moved as close as he could without touching her. He sensed her immediate tension but didn’t back away. “I hurt you and I’m sorry for that.” He rubbed his hand over his face, searching for the right words to make her understand. “You’re so innocent and filled with light.”
She frowned and sighed. “Like I said, boring.”
Jake shook his head. “No, never that. I find you endlessly fascinating. The way you enjoy whatever it is you’re doing, the creative way your mind works, your natural beauty. It’s all such a gift.”
“Why are you saying these things to me now? After everything that’s happened between us.” There was pain in her eyes, pain he’d put there, and he hated himself for it.
He had to make her understand. “I left because I thought it was the best thing for you. You’re filled with light and there’s a darkness inside me that is so deep, so ingrained, I feared it would overwhelm you and change you.”
Her brows drew together and he resisted the urge to rub at the lines that formed between her eyes. “So what you’re saying is that you decided what was best for me?”
He nodded, wondering if she truly understood.
“You ass.” She pushed past him and stalked back into the living room, her heels clicking furiously on the hardwood floor. “Who the hell do you think you are to decide what’s best for me. Of all the arrogant idiocy.”
Jake followed her, trying to think of what he could do to deflect her anger and swiftly came to the conclusion that he couldn’t and shouldn’t. He deserved all of it and more. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“That’s obvious.” The cutting edge to her voice almost made him smile. Sapphire was tough beneath her soft exterior. He knew that, couldn’t help but know it after spending so much time as her bodyguard. The woman ran a successful business with her sisters, for fuck’s sake. Sisters’ Jewels was one of the top boutiques in New York, Sapphire’s jewelry extremely popular, and that didn’t happen if you weren’t a sharp businesswoman.